A little four-year-old boy was struck by a car in a Santa Rosa crosswalk Thursday afternoon as he walked to soccer practice with his mom and two sisters, one of whom was his twin. He died the next morning in the hospital.

Christopher “Buddy” Rowe (pictured) was hit by a man driving a Honda Accord who then sped off. Fortunately a local resident, Leroy Flach, heard about the hit-and-run on his police scanner and spotted the car, whose driver switched off into a Volvo driven by a woman. Flach got the license number and the driver was quickly arrested, due to the attention of a concerned citizen.

Why should any illegal alien be left in this country to endanger public safety when he has shown himself to have no respect for American law or sovereignty? Why do we even have police if they no longer enforce one law for all? In America today, the illegal alien is a special person who is not required to obey the law as we little citizens must.

Authorities have identified the 4-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Santa Rosa last week while walking to soccer practice with his mother, his twin sister and his 6-year-old sister.

Christopher “Buddy” Rowe was hit at about 6 p.m. Thursday at West Ninth Street and Rockwell Place near Jacobs Park in Santa Rosa. He clung to life at Children’s Hospital Oakland, his family said in a statement today, but “his heart finally gave way” Friday morning.

“Little Buddy will be remembered as an energetic, curious, active young boy who was also kind, compassionate and caring, especially with his twin sister,” the family said. “We will always remember his ever-present smile, beautiful steel blue eyes and peace-loving nature.

“The man who stole Buddy’s life from us will be one day free,” the family said, “but we will always carry the burden of losing him forever.”

Christopher and his family were crossing West Ninth in a marked crosswalk when he was hit by a westbound Honda Accord, police said. The car drove away from the intersection, which has no stop signs or signals.

Soon, a 47-year-old Santa Rosa man named Leroy Flach – who heard about the crash on his police scanner – spotted the car at Finley Park, less than a mile from the crash. He said he had called police after he saw the driver peeling off an orange San Francisco Giants decal from the rear window.

The man got into a silver Volvo driven by a woman, Flach said. He relayed the license plate number to police, who by 8 p.m. had found and arrested Marcos Lopez Garcia, 22, who lives near Jacobs Park. Prosecutors were expected to file charges today.

Garcia is being held without bail because federal officials suspect him of being an illegal immigrant. He does not have a driver’s license, records show, and has two previous arrests for driving without one. Five days before the crash, police said, he was told not to drive until a court appearance in October.

Christopher is survived by his parents, James Rowe Jr. and Michelle Rowe, his older sister, Mimi, and his twin sister, Julia, as well as grandparents, uncles and cousins.

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Eugene’s Cathedral in Santa Rosa.

The family asks that condolences and donations be sent to the Christopher Rowe Memorial Fund, 1007 West College Ave., No. 313, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. For more information, go to www.christopherbuddyrowe.com.